Almost 77% can now access 50 Mbps download speed

San Juan – New research released today by Connect Puerto Rico shows that broadband availability at speeds of at least 50 Mbps download/1.5 Mbps upload increased from 24.31% in October 2013 to 76.9% in April 2014, excluding mobile wireless services.

The data was released today in conjunction with Connect Puerto Rico’s participation in the PR Tech Summit 2014, held at the Puerto Rico Convention Center in Miramar. The Summit brought together leading government officials, industry entrepreneurs, principal technology partners, NGOs, and academia to discuss current and future challenges within government through different technology sectors, and explored methods for transforming government services to foster economic growth.

Raquel Noriega, vice president of public policy for Connected Nation, comments during a panel discussion on Improving Access to Broadband at the PR Tech Summit 2014. Looking on are from left, Naji Khouri, president/CEO, Liberty, Felix Lugo, country manager, Columbus Business Solutions, and Javier Rúa, president, Puerto RicoTelecommunications Regulatory Board.

“Broadband capacity continues to improve in Puerto Rico,” said Chris Pedersen, director of program outreach for Connect Puerto Rico. “But work is still needed to close the gap in providing broadband services throughout the island to the remaining 10% of households without the most basic levels of broadband service.”

Among the findings of the new broadband availability research:

Fiber broadband availability increased from 0.3% in October 2013 to 1.8% in April 2014.

Broadband availability at speeds of at least 6 Mbps download/1.5 Mbps upload increased from 77.34% in October 2013 to 79.56% in April 2014, excluding mobile wireless services.

Broadband availability at speeds of at least 50 Mbps download/1.5 Mbps upload increased from 24.31% in October 2013 to 76.9% in April 2014, excluding mobile wireless services.

DSL broadband availability increased from 64.97% in October 2013 to 66.94% in April 2014.

Broadband availability to more than one non-mobile provider increased from 70.6% in October 2013 to 83.38% in April 2014.

This is the ninth comprehensive broadband availability data release from Connect Puerto Rico through the State Broadband Initiative (SBI).

Connect Puerto Rico’s website is home to an innovative broadband mapping tool called My ConnectView offering unmatched views of Puerto Rico’s technology landscape. Residents and businesses are encouraged to use the interactive map to find area providers and help validate the data. To report that broadband is not available in a given area, consumers can fill out a broadband inquiry.

In addition, Connect Puerto Rico is currently conducting an online survey to measure high-speed Internet adoption and usage throughout Puerto Rico. The survey, conducted in both English and Spanish, asks individuals about the importance of having access to high-speed Internet and their experience using it. You can take the survey in Spanish here or English here.

Connect Puerto Rico’s research was conducted as part of the SBI grant program for Puerto Rico, funded by the NTIA. The data were gathered in accordance with the requirements of the NTIA. The process begins by contacting all known providers in the Puerto Rico and providing information about the broadband mapping project. Information on broadband service areas is collected from each provider through voluntary participation and is subject to confidentiality protections. Connected Nation strives to maintain a flexible mapping process to collect data from providers in a variety of formats based on providers’ technical capabilities and resources.

About Connect Puerto Rico: Connect Puerto Rico was commissioned by the Puerto Rico Office of the Chief Information Officer to work with each of the commonwealth’s broadband providers to create detailed maps of broadband coverage and to assess the current state of broadband adoption, community-by-community, across Puerto Rico. Connect Puerto Rico will continue to develop and update the broadband data over time, ensuring that territory policymakers and citizens alike are equipped with this important information. Connect Puerto Rico’s efforts are funded by the United State Department of Commerce’s State Broadband Initiative grant program through the National Telecommunications and Information Administration.